For pilot Sean D. Tucker, the 'show' first starts firmly on the ground

Aerobatic champion flies routine, first on the ground in his head, then for real in a biplane

Sep. 23, 2011

Aerobatic pilot Sean D. Tucker suits up to have a practice flight Wednesday at the Salinas Municipal Airport. Before any airshow, Tucker goes through several practice routines to make sure he is ready for his main performance. Conner Jay/the salinas californian

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Tucker goes through his performance on the ground Wednesday at the Salinas Municipal Airport. Conner Jay/the salinas californian

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One hour before Sean D. Tucker takes to the skies for a performance in his specialized Pitts biplane, the ground crew of the aerobatic champion knows to pretty much leave him alone.

In fact, Tucker's staff knows the hangar better be on fire before they bother the normally affable 58-year-old pilot during this time. They know from experience that tapping him on the shoulder at this point means one will likely draw back a bloody stump.

For it's during the hour before Tucker and his bright red aircraft roar down the runway that the Salinas resident turns inward. It's at this time that he flies his aerial routine once, sometimes twice, completely in his mind.

Usually in front of some lonely hangar half a block or so from the beehive of activity that is his own hangar, Tucker will slip on his iPod, close his eyes behind a pair of dark glasses and let the noise of the crowd and of aircraft engines fade away.

Tucker says he then "pre-visualizes" his elaborate and demanding flight routine.

Using his hands and feet, Tucker will lean left, right and generally contort his body as he mentally "flies" his show.

"I do it for a number of reasons, but mostly I do it to make sure to clear my head and so that I can focus on the flying I'm about to go do," Tucker said.

And before he goes up today at the California International Airshow, you can count on Tucker taking a walk among the hangar rows — alone — so that he can get into the mental zone that will give him the edge to complete his aerobatic routine safely and accurately.

It's a routine that few aerobatic pilots can fly, and it presses both Tucker and his airplane close to their limits.

Putting his game face on

Tucker is far from unique in his pre-flight rituals, according to John Cudahy, president of the Virginia-based International Council of Air Shows.

"That time is effectively how he puts his game face on," Cudahy said.

Some pilots call their visualization time the "sacred 60 minutes," Cudahy said. Tucker is currently the "Joe Montana" of the aerobatics business, he said, referring to the legendary San Francisco 49ers quarterback.

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"Sean is one of the most gregarious, high-energy guys you'll ever meet," Cudahy said. "He loves his fans. Right up until an hour before he goes flying, he'll be out there kissing babies and shaking hands. But then he'll disappear. It's a ritual that keeps him among the best and the safest in the sky."

Aerobatic pilots also take their physical fitness quite seriously in order to withstand the "G-load" they subject themselves to during their routines. G-forces are the gravitational forces exerted on an object — in this case a pilot — while flying. They are the invisible forces, for instance, that will pin a person against the seat of a roller coaster while in motion.

To withstand the heavy G-load from Tucker's routines, Tucker says you will find him in a gym about 300 days a year — on the road and at home.

Tucker, who now has more than 24,000 hours of pilot-in-command log time, is known for a near-fanaticism about safety and preparation. He and his hand-picked crew go over every inch of the specially modified Pitts biplane he flies during the shows before the craft ever leaves the hangar.

Typically, Tucker and the Oracle Challenger Team will fly about 15 air shows throughout North America every year. In most cases, he will meet his team at the air-show airport on a Wednesday and begin preparations for what will be a busy workweek ending on Sunday. Monday is generally an off day and Tuesday and Wednesday mornings are travel periods for the team.

"On Wednesdays, I'm just getting there. I try to schedule my commercial flight so that I arrive in time to get at least one practice flight in before nightfall," Tucker said. "The goal of that flight is just to get orientated with the field and my surroundings and to get me comfortable with the aircraft again."

Tucker said a typical Thursday involves giving flights to media and VIPs and, if there's time, a quick practice or two. Fridays often involve more practices, perhaps a "teaser" flight and then, if scheduled, a twilight-time show flight before an audience.

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On Saturdays and Sundays — the main showcase days of most air show events — Tucker will fly more teaser flights and then two main aerobatic show flights each day.

'Power steering' failure

Even though Tucker gets top-of-the poster billing at some of the biggest air shows now staged, he never takes safety for granted. The former Salinas Valley-area crop-duster has been known to stop everything if a part of his bright red bird isn't just right.

"We take fan safety and my safety very, very seriously. I'm an entertainer. Nothing I do is so important to lead me to ever risk the safety of our fans, our guests or myself," Tucker said. "If something goes wrong with the aircraft we stop what we're doing and head back to the airport. We don't chance anything."

In fact, a minor in-flight incident occurred this week as Tucker flew a practice routine over the agricultural fields of Gonzales in anticipation of today's performances.

(To see how Tucker handles the failure of a part of his wing in mid-flight, click here.)

After about 15 minutes in the air, Tucker immediately stopped his practice after he sensed the weld on an aluminum "spade" affixed to the bottom of his left wing had failed. The small device ì one found on the bottom of each wing ì acts as an aerial "power steering" device and helps him control the highly modified aircraft.

"I knew immediately what it was when it happened," Tucker said minutes after returning to his Salinas Airport hangar.

"When a spade fails, controlling the aircraft becomes considerably more difficult — just like when it happens on your car. In this case, I just stopped the practice routine and headed back to the airport. We'll get it re-welded in a few minutes and I'll be back in the air later this afternoon," Tucker said.